23 February, 2009

the barefoot baklesa ponders: Another Year, Older and...

the barefoot baklesa ponders: Another Year, Older and...

Peque Gallaga sent this; how fitting:"We do not change as we grow older; we just become more clearly ourselves." ~ Lynn Hall

To be honest, I have not been the type that has celebrated my birthday with the importance some others have given theirs. I think it was around college when I stopped giving my birthday any significance. I reckon, since none of my classmates knew about it, it wouldn't make much difference. In fact, I avoided even writing the date in the size four sheets of paper we had to submit to our professors when the semester began. Thus began my disinterest in such trivialities, I thought.

For the record, I'm not being a cheapskate about it. One look at the stuff I spend on, you'll be the first to hit me with the ubiquitous "that's too much" line with the look of disapproval. What am I getting at? You see, here in the Philippines, when it's your birthday, you're somewhat obliged to spend to take your friends out or have a party to celebrate. "You're expected to turn it into a soiree", my friend Mitch -who wasn't raised here- once commented.

Anthropologically speaking, Filipinos have a penchant for celebrating two events in the cycle of life: birth and death. A fact that the Spanish have used in the Christianization of the islands. Ergo the emphasis on Christmas and Lent:characterized by the devotion to the Christ Child, and the dramatic and bloody remembrance of the suffering Christ through processions, flagellation, and in some cases mimicking crucifixion. But I'm being the insufferable know-it-all again... Let's get back on track.

The last time I actually celebrated my birthday was back in 2007 when I took a select group of newfound friends to Omakase [my beloved Japanese restaurant] for dinner after rehearsals for "Once On This Island". That was the first time since high school that I bothered. Needless to say, from that company I found great friends who, by next year, unknowingly were treated to a late dinner come my birthday.

I think I may have developed this thinking that if people put some value to it more than I do, even by a simple birthday greeting, then you will know they are worth their weight in friendship.

You know who you are: I send thee my profoundest thanks for remembering.

After I came from church yesterday evening, Micko [theater colleague and good friend] sent an SMS asking me, "How was your day? Be honest!" To which I responded, "I really did not do much today. Just lounged around watchin episodes Hanazakari No Kimitachi E the whole day. And I have a newfound appreciation for _ _ _ _ _ _ _[name witheld, subject of another blog soon]."

It was a day of surprises to say the least...

Later that evening, my friend Jakie made her way to our house in Santa Rosa from Alabang to visit me and drop-off quite a practical gift. She stayed for a while to catch up and talk about stuff which got us so engrossed for like three hours.

And when Jakie was about to leave, the last surprise of the night pulled into the driveway. Well, it was half a surprise since he announced his arrival a while before.

Glenn, in a nutshell, was my first love; we were classmates all through high school. But you see, that was the 90s... and nothing defined the gay 90s better than "Loving the Straight Guy You Can't Have" ~but that was fourteen years ago, and now I'm one of his daughter's godfathers and he's been a great pal time and again. Glenn stayed for a drink. I knew he was tired, since I noticed he dozed off a bit while we were talking. It was a sweet gesture; being visited by the first person who spoke to me when I moved to our high school. As Sondheim put it, "Most friends fade or they don't make the grade...But us, old friends -what's to discuss, old friend?" Ah, nostalgia...

Sunday, the day after, I had the local kids over to pray the rosary as a thanksgiving, thus the photo above...